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Who Won the Senate Queso Taste Test Between Texas and Arkansas?

How's this for government cheese? This Wednesday, Dec. 7, Senate Republicans voted in favor of Arkansas' queso dip - a gooey, spicy concoction made with melted cheese and spicy peppers - over that of Texas' queso, reported Arkansas Online.

At a Republican Steering Committee lunch, the rival dips - courtesy of Heights Taco & Tamale Co. of Little Rock and Uncle Julio's of Dallas - were brought before senators as a blind taste test. Surprising many - including myself - Arkansas was victorious.

The challenge was issued by Arkansas Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman, and taken up by Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. Announcing his state's culinary victory, Sen. Cotton tweeted, "Better luck next time."

A short while later, his opponent Sen. Cornyn responded, "Queso's still king."

The queso race began following the November publication of a story in the Wall Street Journal touting Arkansas as the progenitor of queso, much to the outrage of Texas, a state fiercely proud of its cheese dip, among other things.

The spokesman for Heights Taco & Tamale Co. parent company Yellow Rocket Concepts may have summed it up best. "We believe all cheese dip is good," Jarrod Johnson said following the announcement. "Some is just better than others."

Johnson also noted this news is a welcome change to much of the acrimonious debate coming from the nation's Capitol of late.

"We're not political," said Johnson. "It's fun to see people crossing party lines to talk about cheese dip."

Though the Arkansas Senators may chalk this up as a win, it's unlikely we'll see folks in the Lone Star State back down any time soon - and I know more than a few proud New Mexicans out west who'd have a few choice words for both.